Amanda Kimmel has lived all over the state of Montana. She most recently worked as a hiking tour guide and continues to hone her skills as an artist while learning about the fashion industry. She began modeling in Chicago at the age of 16 where she lived on her own for one year. She previously worked as a make-up artist, retail sales representative and waitress. Her goal is to develop a business within the fashion industry.

Kimmel has competed in many beauty pageants and was crowned Miss Montana USA in 2005 and placed in the Top 8 for Miss Earth in 2006. She's been on the cover of Montana Living Magazine and Pageantry Magazine. Kimmel has been to China twice before to compete in the Miss Kite of the World Pageant in Weifang. She placed as a semi-finalist and was given a key to the city and was heavily promoted on billboards and in news articles. While promoting tourism via these pageants, she did volunteer work at orphanages and other organizations and was also permitted to fly kites off the Great Wall in five inch heels.

Kimmel's hobbies include hiking, designing, drawing and painting. She enjoys rock climbing, snowshoeing, kickboxing and volleyball. Kimmel describes herself as motivated, competitive and determined. She has camped every weekend in Montana since she was three years old. She tries never to leave home without her cowboy boots.

Kimmel just moved from Kalispell, Montana to Los Angeles and is living with her sister, Katrina. Her family has one dog, Sassy, two cats, Cleo and Lynus, and one horse, Frisco. Her birth date is August 3, 1984.

georgiapeach:
Amanda Reality TV exit Interview:

When she arrived on location for Survivor: Micronesia – Fans Vs. Favorites, 23-year-old Amanda Kimmel had just got done battling it out for the full 39 days on Survivor: China and came in third place. By the end of her second attempt, Amanda made it the full 39 days yet again, which set a Survivor record.

With her second-place finish in the Micronesia season, Amanda has played Survivor more than any other player in history – a total of 78 days. “In a row,” Amanda said of her completed games. “Like these are 78 days in a row. I feel like I’m a professional Survivor by now, you know. I feel that’s been my life for so long that I’m just so excited that it’s over and I can just move on and do the things I love to do. I just need this to be over.”

This season CBS lined up 10 returning players against 10 ultimate fans of the show. “I thought it was crazy,” Amanda said of the concept. “I knew right off the bat that we (favorites) were definitely going to have an advantage because we’ve played this game. I knew we’d be able to manipulate better than the fans. Your first time on the show, you learn a lot and you learn a lot about yourself. And playing against veterans that have done this before I think is really hard, especially being a fan that has never done this before, (who) never has gone through the element part of it. And we were just stronger, you know, mentally, strategically and physically.”

She made a solid alliance early on with favorites Parvati, Ozzy Lusth and James Clement. At one point, Parvati put her in alliance with some of the women from the fans’ tribe. “I was upset she put me in an alliance because part of my strategy this time, especially after meeting Ozzy, was that I had to make a decision whether I was gonna be loyal to him or not and I decided I was. That was gonna be my game this time. I was exhausted from China and I just wanted to play a very loyal, strategic game and I really thought that I could be loyal and strategic and make it to the end. So for her putting me in another alliance, kind of contradicted what I was trying to do. So, it worked out for her OK. I made it to the end somehow and it just worked out.”

Amanda won the last immunity challenge and solely voted out Cirie Fields, which effectively decided Parvati was the other member of the final two. Parvati ended up winning by two votes. “Parv and myself, we’ve been friends since the beginning of the game and we’re really tight,” Amanda remarks on why she took her to the end instead of Cirie. “She’s my girl and we knew coming here, we’re the final two. One of us is gonna go home with a million dollars, one of us is gonna go home with a hundred thousand – a lot of money either way. We just kind of made peace with it and I’m happy for her. You never know what the jury’s gonna do, it’s a crazy game.”

A crazy game it is. This season sparked some of the biggest blindsides and blunders in the show’s 16-season history. First came Ozzy’s ouster. The guy she had been “dating” on the island (they are still together at the time of this report) was suddenly sent packing, which shocked Amanda. “I pretty much had to change my entire game,” Amanda said. “You know me and Ozzy were making a lot of decisions together (that) when he was gone, I had to make strategic, bold decisions by myself. I pretty much had to fight to the end at that point. So, it was something I was just ready to do – I was ready to fight for this.”

Then came her great strategic game play when she helped the other girls convince Erik Reichenbach to give up his immunity necklace. He did and got voted out. “You know, I honestly didn’t think he was going to buy it. I’m like, ‘Let’s try our best; I’ll say whatever I have to say.’ I didn’t say anything that I didn’t believe. I love Erik to death; I think he’s a sweetheart. I was playing a game and he fell for it. And in the end it was worth it, you know, because I knew I couldn’t beat Erik in the challenges, so you know, it was worth it.”

Which season was tougher for her? “Physically China was much rougher,” she said. “I lost 30 pounds in China. I lost five pounds in Micronesia. But strategically and mentally, this one was much harder just because of all the women wanting to make their moves and just placing yourself in the right position. Strategically it was definitely harder this time.”

Having been surrounded by the game for two full seasons, Amanda said it’s time to move on – but another shot at the competition would be hard for her to turn down. “Two times going to the end and I don’t win. Like, c’mon of course I’d do it again.”

Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs Favorites runner up Amanda Kimmel has lived all over the state of Montana, and most recently worked as a hiking tour guide. Amanda has competed in several beauty pageants and was crowned Miss Montana USA in 2005 and placed in the Top 8 for Miss Earth 2006.

On Survivor China Amanda made the final three but only received one vote to win. Parvati Shallow thinks Amanda’s refusal to own up to her games cost her the final of Survivor – a competition that traditionally rewards schemers - but what does Amanda have to say about her loss?

Honestly, I don't know. Maybe I said the wrong thing with Cirie's question to me [at the final Tribal Council], but it was definitely geared towards Parvati. And all the girls [on the jury] were pro-Parvati. So you do what you have to in the game. I made an observation [about Cirie] and she was obviously upset about it. Cirie had a lot of power, the girls are good at manipulating this game and I'm sure they manipulated.

Amanda also says she thought she had a better chance against Parvati than against Cirie. She felt she had no chance of beating Cirie.

On her lover Ozzy Lusth, Amanda says she has no regrets about having a relationship with him on the island and wanted to be loyal to him. We're dating and everything's good. I think he's adorable. We're just taking it day by day.

Amanda has an online store where she sells posters of herself in bikinis and has been cast in the move The Reef by Charles Winkler which is being filmed in Hawaii. Sounds like we’ll be seeing more of Amanda in her bikinis!

Boyfriend Ozzy is also selling posters as well as hats and 'Ozzy Beaters'.